Apparatus for feeding tape and projecting images therefrom



y 1930. H. H. LYNN 1 1,771,500

APPARATUS FOR FEEDING TA'PEAND PROJECTING IMAGES THEREFROM Original Filed March 9, 1929 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR 7 7 (4fr7 19 ATTORNE? y 29, H. H. LYNN 1,771,500 v APPARATUS FOR FEEDING TAPE AND PROJECTING IMAGES THEREFROM Original Filed March 9, 1929 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENT 'OR #arr 1 BY ATTORN E Ys Patented July 29, 1930 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HARRY H. LYNN, OF NEW BDCHELLE, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR T TRANS-L'UX DAY- LIGHT PICTURE SCREEN. CORPORATION DELAWARE or NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF APPARATUS FOR FEEDING TAPE AND PROJECTING IMAGES THEREEROM Application a larch a, 1929, Serial No. 345,686. R'enewed in... 11, 1930.

I This inventionrelates to an apparatus for forming images such as stock quotations on a I tape and projectingthe images on a screen or similar device.

The embodiment of the invention shown and described herein comprises the usual form of stock ticker from which transparent tape with quotations printed by the ticker is fed out with ajerky or pulsating motion which has been changed into a relatively steady movement as the tape is being magnified by the projector in order to avoid magnifying at the same time the jerks given the tape by the ticker and thus rendering the quotations illegible.

The tape should glide across the projector shortly after its release by the ticker and this gliding is preferably accomplished by a separate take-up motor which moves the tape at about the same speed it is released from the ticker. Since the ticker is constantly starting and stopping, the take-up motor should also be ready to start and stop correspondingly so as not to overrun the ticker feed, and: it has been found that this motor preferably therefore floats in its operation. That is, if the ticker slows up the take-up motor slows up and this slowing up is accomplished by.

tor circuit so that the impulses to run the motor are not continuous, which produces the effect of floating. In order to cause this floating action the control for making and breaking the motor circuit must also float, that is, it must slow the motor down by rapidly acting to make and break the circuit to the motor. Of course when the ticker definitely stops, the motor must stop and that means the control must act immediately to break the motor circuit.

A device as above, therefore, requires a sensitive control. In addition the control should operate without injury to the tape or other parts of the apparatus and it should also be simple 'and not a t to get out of'or- This application is in the nature of an improvement on subject matter of the co-pending applications of Joshua \Vard, Ser. No. 278,744 and Ser. No. 344,887.

Further objects of the invention will more fully appear from the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings illustrating by way of example the preferred embodiments of the apparatus used in carrying out the method.

In the accompanying drawings, showing by way of example the present preferred embodiments of the invention are as follows Fig. 1 is an elevation showing certain parts diagrammatically for clearness;

Fig. 2 ma diagrammatic view of parts the apparatus other than the ticker;

Fig. 3 is a detail plan view of the suction head;

Fig. 4 is a cross section on the line 44 of Fig. ,3; and

Fig. 5 is a detail front elevation showing the suction head positioned with respect to the tape.

Referring to the drawings andparticularly Fig. 1, the ticker mechanism is designated as 1 and the projecting device as 2. The ticker records imagesstock quotationson tape and ejects the printed tape with a pulsating movement. The ticker here shown is the well known Western Union stock quotation ticker. The frame of the ticker is designated as 3. It

supports a roll of tape4 which may be made a of transparent or translucent material. The

tape from the roll passes upwardly between feed rolls 5 and 6 from whence it passes over the platen mechanism 7 and beneath the type wheel 8, which is in contact with the ink roll 9. The type wheel 8 carries two rows of printing characters such as numerals and figures respectively and is adapted to come into cooperative position with the platen 7 to print the two sets of characters on respectively op posite edges of the tape 4. From this position the tape passes over a support 10 andis formed into a loop 11.

The loop 11 terminates adjacent the edge of the table 12 of the rojector 2, across which the ta e passes and t en passes downwardly to a talie-up device, which is operated to feed the tape 4 across the table 12. The forward end of table 12 also provides a support for around the idle roll 17 to increase its peripheral engagement with the wheel 15. This take-up motor is such that if not retarded under control of the ticker feed, it will feed the tape from the loop faster than it is fed to the loop by the ticker when the ticker is running at maximum speed. The projector lamp is designated as 18 and the light therefrom is passed through a suitable lens set 19 and thence through the projector table 12 and the lens set 20 against a reflecting mirror 21, which is adapted to reflect the light through a translucent projecting surface, such as 22, arranged in a vertical plane.

A suitable means. such as the J spring 23, engages the tape adjacent the end of the projector table 12 contiguous to the loop 11 and is adapted to create sufiicient friction to entirely absorb any pulsations produced by the ticker that may not have been absorbed bv the loop and suction means heretofore described;

) so as to eliminate such pulsations at the project-ion axis. I

As shown more clearly in Figs. 2. 3 and 4. a fixed suction head is suitably secured betweenthe ticker and projector table 12 in the path of the loop 11. This suction head comrises an arm 24 projecting therefrom having its outer end 25 beveled at an angle such that the tape which passes over the beveled surface will lie flat against it and completely cover the mouth 26 which is formed in the surface. The mouth communicates by a passageway 27 passing through the arm 24 with the upper partof a chamber 28 (see Fig. 4).

This chamber is generally cylindrical in form and its outer end is closed by a plunger including disc or plate 29 which is in turn connected toa stem 30 whose up and down motion is guided by a. boss 31 depending from the upper wall of the valve chamber. Under conditions where there is no substantial decrease in pressure in the chamber 28, the plate occupies the position shown in Fig. 4 seated against a resilient gasket 32 restin at the mouth of the chamber. When raised by suction in the chamber the plate is limited in its upward travel by flange 33 projecting from the interior wall of the chamber.

Situated above the flange 33 and opposite the assageway 27 is an air conduit 34 leading see 2) to an air pump driven by 21 motor-36, which serves to suck air through the mouth 26 when not interrupted by the tape through passageway 27 through the chamber 28 and air conduit 34.

Situated on the top of the chamber 28 is a housing 36 for a set of electric contacts. The upper contact 37 is adapted to contact with the flexible contact finger 38 when the latter is moved upwardly and flexed about its point of support 39. This movement is effected by the stem 30 which upon being moved upwardly through suction in the chamber 28 meets the contact 38' and if suilicient suction is exerted pushes the contact until it meets contact 37. When the members 37 and 38 come together a circuit .is established through the take-up motor to pull the tape across the projection axis. lVhen the circuit is broken the take-up motor stops as described below. I

Referring more particularly to Fig. 2, the relation of the valve control member 29, 30, the take-up motor 14 and suction device is shown. The motor 14 is arranged to be connected to power line 40 by means of the switch 41 and the projector lamp 18 is connected across the lines leading to the motor and between the motor and switch 41. A variable resistance 42 is placed on one side of the line between the switch and the motor for the purpose of regulating the speed of the motor. Connected to the power line 40 by another switch 43 and lines 44, is the motor 36 for driving the air pump 35, which as explained provides suction through the line 34 to the suction head 24. One side of the circuit passing from the switch 41 to the tal e-up motor 14 passes through contacts 38 and 37 before it passes to the motor itself. T herefore when these contacts are separated. no current passes to the take-up motor and it stops. but when the contacts are together the motor runs. In order to prevent arcing between these contacts, a condenser 45 is placed across them.

Operation lVhen it is desired to operate the device. the ticker 1 is started and the switches 41 and 43 are closed. The motor 36 operates the pump 35 to create suction in the line 34 to the atmosphere. The tape is approaching but has not reached the mouth 26. The circuit to the take-up motor 14 is still open as shown at Fig. 4. As the tape is ejected from the ticker with a pulsating motion it reaches the mouth 26. passes it. and. then passes on to the table 12 under the J spring 23 and then across the projection axis and down. to'the rolls 14. l6. 17 from which it may be taken up on a wind-up reel not shown). When the tape has either closed the orifice or passed near it as indicated by the dotted line 11 in Fig. 5 so that the suction from the line 84- can act on the tape, the tape'is pulled down lllO and a reduced pressure is created in the chamber 28. The members 29 and 30 move up pushing the finger 38 into contact with 37 making the electrical circuit leading to the motor 14. The motor starts and pulls the tape steadily across the table 12 and past the projection zone.

It has been found in practice that the tape normally occupies the dotted line position 11 shown in Fig. 5 under ordinary operation of the ticker, and when in this position the motor 14 is in substantial floating control. If while in this normal position the ticker tends to eject the tape faster, the tape momentarily will lie'for a longer period over the orifice 2t and will keep the contacts 37, 38 closed to operate the motor 14 to cause a continuous take-up of the tape which will continue until the normal position is passed. If the ticker ejects tape slower than normally, the tape momentarily rises, the vacuum in the line from the pump 35 to the atmosphere is broken, the contacts 37 and 38 separate and the tape is no longer pulled across the projection table. The motor remains cut off until the ticker has supplied sufficient tape for the loop to occupy the position for the contacts to be made again and the motor started to continue taking up the tape.

The suction head with its associated parts constitutes a sensitive pneumatic control member which keeps the control take-up motor 14 floating to move the tape across the projector. It consists of few parts, can be readily repaired, if necessary, and the moving parts cannot be accidentally interfered with because all of the parts are securely housed.

\Vhile I have described my improvements in great detail and with respect to a preferred form thereof. I donot desire to be limit ed to such details and forms since many changes and modifications may bemade and the invention embodied in widely different forms Without departing from the spirit and scope thereof in its broader aspects. Hence I desire to cover all modifications, forms and embodiments coming within the language or scope of any one or more of the appended claims.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent. is

1. In a device of the character described, the combination with means for recording on tape images to be projected, of means for projecting said images from said tape. a. takeup motor for moving said tape past the projection axis of said projecting means, supporting means for said tape in its path of travel from said first means to said projection axis positioned to provide a gap between said first means and said projection axis for a loop of said tape, an arm provided with a fixed inlet-mouth. an air passageway termiother in a pump, a plunger separated from said mouth in said passageway, an electric contact member operated by said plunger and in a circuit to the take-up motor, said plunger serving to make and break said circuit to start and stop said motor.

2. In a device of the character described, the combination with means for recording on tape images to be projected, of means for projectingsaid images from said tape, a take-up motor for moving said tape past the projection axis of said projecting means, supporting means for said tape in its path of travel from said first means to said projection axis positioned to provide a gap between said first means and said projection axis for a loop of said tape, an arm provided with a fixed mouth to admit air, an air passageway terminating at one end with said mouth and at the other with a pump, a plunger separated from said mouth, a chamber forming part of said passageway for holding and guiding said plunger, an electric contact member operat ed by said plunger and in a circuit to the take-up motor, said plunger serving to make and break said circuit to start and stop said motor. v

3. In a device of the character described, the combination with means for recording on tape images to be projected, of means for projecting said images from said tape, a take-up motor for moving said tape past the projection axis of said projecting means, supporting means for said tape in its path of travel from said first means to said projection axis positioned to provide a gap between said first means and said projection axis for a loop of said tape, an arm provided with a fixed inlet mouth for air, an air passageway terminating at one end with said mouth and at the other with a pump, a chamber forming part of said passageway, a plunger therein, comprising a fiat disc and a stem projecting therefrom, an electric contact member in the feed circuit to said take-up motor, said stem moving said contact member to make and break said circuit to start and stop said motor, whereby when the tape lies over said mouth and suction occurs in said conduit said stem moves to make said contact and thereby operate said take-up motor, and when said tape rises from said month said stem moves to' break the contact to stop the motor, to thereby control the movement of said tape past said projection axis.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

HARRY H. LYNN.

nating at one end in said mouth and at the i 

